Ophthalmoscopes and Fundus cameras are commonly used to image the retina of the eye. Such devices typically use visible light to illuminate the retina. The use of visible light causes the pupil of the eye to substantially close which requires the user to view along the central axis of the eye and precludes off axis viewing. This limits the field of view of the retina and complicates the use of augmenting imaging systems, such as OCT systems. The use of infra-red light precludes direct viewing of the retina by a physician. Moreover light in the visible wavelength is valuable in generating a detailed view of the retina. So, overcoming the tradeoff between the detail of visible light and the limitation imposed by pupil contraction needs to be solved for non-invasive in vivo analysis to be more useful in rapidly and efficiently monitoring targets such as the eye.
What is needed is a means of non-invasively analyzing in vivo targets and obtaining the best possible image of the region of interest in the target. In particular, what is needed for targets such as the eye, is a means to use visible light without having the target area obscured by the contraction of the pupil. Further needed is an improved means to use a combination of interferometrically acquired depth information and images obtained with radiant energy of visible light wavelengths to obtain measurements of eye components, such as the axial length of the eye, as well as the thickness of the retina, and measurements of three dimensional structures. Moreover, using depth information in conjunction with acquired images to align, combine, and overlap images of critical areas, such as the fovea, is also needed.